09Oct17

Islamic State attacks rival jihadists in Hama province

The Islamic State has launched a new offensive against Hay'at Tahrir al Sham (HTS), the
self-declared caliphate's longtime jihadist rival, in Hama province. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's men
attacked HTS in eastern Hama province, capturing several villages in the process.

The battle is part of the Islamic State's "Abu Muhammad al Adnani" campaign, which was named for
the group's fallen spokesman and leader. Much of the offensive has been focused on Bashar al
Assad's regime, as well as its Russian and Iranian backers, in central and eastern Syria.

The Russians and the Iranians have played a key role in propping up Assad's forces, including during
their push into eastern Syria this past summer. But Assad's allies have also suffered some high-profile
casualties during the campaign. For example, Lt. Gen. Valery Asapov was killed during shelling by the
Islamic State near the city of Deir Ezzor late last month.

Sometime during the last day, Baghdadi's loyalists turned their guns and armored vehicles on HTS in
Hama province.

HTS quickly released a statement denouncing the assault and accusing the Assad regime of allowing
the Islamic State's jihadists to pass through its territory into HTS-controlled Hama. This is a common
argument employed by various actors on the ground in Syria, where enemies and rivals frequently
accuse each other of being in cahoots with Assad's forces. The reality is that both the so-called
caliphate and HTS frequently clash with the Syrian government and its sponsor. The battlefield is
messy and chaotic, with all sides regularly making tactical adjustments and compromises.

Since the rise of the Islamic State in 2013 and 2014, Baghdadi's subordinates have frequently clashed
with their jihadist rivals. The infighting began when Al Nusrah Front and its emir, Abu Muhammad al
Julani, refused to obey Baghdadi's orders in Syria. The infighting that followed led to numerous
deaths on both sides. The Islamic State has continued to clash with Julani's men, even after his
organization changed its name twice in less than a year. Al Nusrah formed the backbone of HTS in
January, but has suffered from a variety of problems since then. The so-called caliphate, which has
lost most of the territory once under its control, has repeatedly attempted to seize ground from HTS
in Damascus and elsewhere.

Earlier this year, HTS claimed to have uncovered a number of Islamic State cells operating throughout
Idlib province, the organization's stronghold.

The Islamic State's most recent assault on HTS came just days after HTS launched its own offensive
on Assad's men in Hama. HTS targeted the village of Abu Dali, which sits at a crossroads between the
provinces of Idlib and Hama. Via its Ebaa News Agency, HTS has advertised its gains in and around
Abu Dali. The photos show captured vehicles, including a tank, and other arms, as well as the corpses
of pro-Assad fighters scattered on the ground.

One map produced by Ebaa News (shown above) illustrates the close geographic proximity of the two
battles HTS is fighting: one against the Islamic State and the other against the Assad regime and its
allies.

[Source: By Thomas Joscelyn, Fdd's Long War Journal, 09Oct17]

This document has been published on 13Oct17 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes.